"[66]), only one passage has occasionally been interpreted as taking a particular legal position towards such activities:[67], "And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four (witnesses) from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death takes them away or Allah opens some way for them (15). The name is still preserved in Jebel Usdum (Mt. Laws criminalizing sodomy rarely spell out precise sexual acts, but are typically understood by courts to include any sexual act deemed to be unnatural or immoral. hold it had been, along with his law novelizations regarding homosexual behavior immediately after his death) had it not been made use of in fake Charlemagnian capitularies, fabricated by a Frankish monk using the pseudonym Benedictus Levita ("Benedict the Levite") around 850 AD, as part of the Pseudo-Isidore. The attraction between the two men is immediate. sod'-um (cedhom; Sodoma) One of the 5 CITIES OF THE PLAIN (which see), destroyed by fire from heaven in the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:24). 77 (dating 538) and no. (v. 47, NASB) "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. 3, taking a survey of the land around and below them. The Lord informed Abraham that "the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous" (Genesis 18:20). Albigensian". The fact that the men of Sodom so quickly (and unanimously) refused Lot’s offer of his daughters shows that rape could not be the primary sin of the men of Sodom. [71], Despite the formal disapproval of religious authority, gender segregation in Muslim societies and the strong emphasis on virility leads some adolescents and unmarried young men to seek alternative sexual outlets to women, especially with males younger than themselves. [21] Countering this is traditional interpretation, which notes that the angels were sent to investigate an ongoing regional problem(Gn. Specific sins which Sodom is linked to by the prophets of the Old Testament are adultery and lying (Jeremiah 23:14). [54] The 13th-century Jewish scholar, Nachmanides, wrote: “According to our sages, they were notorious for every evil, but their fate was sealed for their persistence in not supporting the poor and the needy.” His contemporary, Rabbenu Yonah, expresses the same view: “Scripture attributes their annihilation to their failure to practice tzedakah [charity or justice].”[55] In 1307, accusations of sodomy and homosexuality were major charges levelled during the Trial of the Knights Templar. Sodomy is both a real occurrence and an imagined category. [58] This also coincides with traditional Jewish interpretations of these texts as well.[59]. Webster's Third New International Dictionary gives the only meaning of the word "bugger" as a sodomite, "from the adherence of the Bulgarians to the Eastern Church considered heretical".[17]. They are found on the Biblical Timeline between 2000 BC and 1900 BC. His assessment goes beyond the Biblical data, though it is seen by conservatives as defining what manner of fornication (Jude 1:7) Sodom was given to. Because his crucial demands for capital punishment had been so unheard of in ecclesiastical history priorly based upon the humane Christian concept of forgiveness and mercy, it took several centuries before Benedictus’ demands for legal reform began to take tangible shape within larger ecclesiastical initiatives. See ARABAH; CITIES OF THE PLAIN; DEAD SEA. As in Sodom the men of the city come and demand their assumed right to abuse the stranger. However, in several of these, other crimes were involved as well. [11] The same goes for the Polish sodomia. The connection between Sodom and homosexuality is derived from the described attempt by a mob of the city's people to rape Lot's male guests. It is commonly mentioned in connection with Gomorrah, but also with Admah and Zeboim, and on one occasion -- (Genesis 14:1)... --with Bela or Zoar. The city was destroyed by fire from heaven in the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19:24). Others, the earliest of whom was Derrick Sherwin Bailey, claim that this passage contradicts the traditional interpretation altogether. (e) A fifth argument is found in the numerous lime-pits found at that southern end of the Dead Sea. The Book of Wisdom, which is included in the Biblical canon by Orthodox and Roman Catholics, but excluded by modern Jews, Protestants, and other Christian denominations, makes reference to the story of Sodom, further emphasizing that their sin had been failing to practice hospitality: An examination of trials for rape and sodomy during the 18th century at the Old Bailey in London shows that the treatment of rape was often lenient, while the treatment of sodomy was often severe. You can’t decide to live near sin and think it won’t affect you. In this regard, Ian McCormick has argued that "an adequate and imaginative reading involves a series of intertextual interventions in which histories become stories, fabrications and reconstructions in lively debate with, and around, 'dominant' heterosexualities ... Deconstructing what we think we see may well involve reconstructing ourselves in surprising and unanticipated ways. (a) "Lot," says he, "fled to Zoar, which was near to Sodom; and Zoar lay almost at the southern end of the present sea, probably in the month of Wady Kerak ." Genesis 19 tells the story of how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, but spared Lot and his family (mostly). First, Sodom and Gomorrah were judged because of grave sin. Countering this is the argument that most of the uses of yâda‛ denoting sex is in Genesis,[63] (including once for premarital sex: Genesis 38:26), and in verse 8, sex the obvious meaning. Notice the wording of this passage in Genesis 19:4–9 , 3 they wanted Lot to offer them the men (angels in the form of men) as sexual playthings. Records from the Bastille and the police lieutenant d'Argenson, as well as other sources, show that many who were arrested were exiled, sent to a regiment, or imprisoned in places (generally the hospital) associated with moral crimes (such as prostitution). See The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages (2010), 809 for some important points: by 'sodomy' was understood all homosexual activity and not only anal intercourse; by the later Middle Ages, civil courts were as much involved as ecclesiastical ones; though accusations became frequent, the number of condemned remained low, and the number of executed very low. But Ezekiel doesn’t target either of those primarily. an ancient city destroyed, with Gomorrah, because of its wickedness. Gomorrah was a biblical place always associated with Sodom. Originally, the term sodomy, which is derived from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis, was commonly restricted to anal sex. (vss. Some catastrophe there undoubtedly was but what secondary agencies, besides fire, were employed in the accomplishment of the punishment cannot be safely determined in the almost total absence of exact scientific description of the natural features of the ground round the lake. This happens in Deuteronomy 29; Isaiah 1, 3, and 13; Jeremiah 49 and 50; Lamentations 4; Amos 4.11; and Zephaniah 2.9. The wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire from heaven, by which it was destroyed ( 18:16-33 ; 19:1-29 ; Deuteronomy 23:17 ). This appears to, have been the belief of Josephus and Jerome. In the course of the eighteenth century, what is identifiable as sodomy often becomes identified with effeminacy, for example, or in opposition to a discourse of manliness. And as for the two who are guilty of indecency from among you, give them both a punishment; then if they repent and amend, turn aside from them; surely Allah is oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. From an unused verb סדם (sadam), to burn. (The word 'sod' also has a meaning of "(clump of) earth" with an unrelated etymology, in which sense it is rare but not offensive. burning; the walled, a city in the vale of Siddim ( Genesis 13:10 ; 14:1-16 ). Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. [69] Shariah (Islamic law) defines sodomy outside marriage as adultery or fornication or both, and it thus attracts the same penalties as those crimes (flogging or death), although the exact punishment varies with schools and scholars. There is no explicit mention of any sexual sin in Ezekiel's summation and "abomination" is used to describe many sins. [47] Sodomy typically includes anal sex, oral sex, and bestiality. "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 10. At least 60 men were sentenced to death.[44]. Sodom was a city in the valley of Siddim (Genesis 13:10; 14:1-16). Bible Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Sodom, Bible Dictionaries - Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary - Sodom, Bible Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - Sodom, Encyclopedias - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Sodom, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. That Sodom and the rest of the cities of the plain of Jordan stood on the north of the Dead Sea; That neither the cities nor the district were submerged by the lake, but that the cities were overthrown and the land spoiled, and that it may still be seen in its desolate condition. Main Entry: sod, The works of Philo a contemporary of Josephius, "ANF08. From the verb שדד (sadad), to harrow or plough a field, or the verb שדד (shadad), to act violently. Commenting on the story of Sodom from Genesis 19. But, A more serious departure from the terms of the ancient history is exhibited in the prevalent opinion that the cities stood at the south end of the lake. Ravaisson (a 19th-century writer who edited the Bastille records) suggested that the authorities preferred to handle these cases discreetly, lest public punishments in effect publicize "this vice. Meaning: burning; the walled. The reasonable presumption is that the men of Sodom wanted to have forcible anal sex with the angels. This does not imply that sodomites necessarily lived in security—specific police agents, for instance, watched the Tuileries, even then a known “cruising area.” But, as with much sexual behaviour under the Old Regime, discretion was a key concern on all sides (especially since members of prominent families were sometimes implicated); the law seemed most concerned with those who were the least discreet. Sodom and Gomorrah, like Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar, were Biblically considered "cities of the plain" (Genesis 10:19). The wickedness of the city became proverbial. [citation needed], The primarily sexual meaning of the word sodomia for Christians did not evolve before the 6th century AD. In Danish, sodomi is rendered as "unnatural carnal knowledge with someone of the same sex or (now) with animals".[12]. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. All rights reserved. Others, however, with much greater probability, contend that they stood at the northern end of the sea. [13][14] It is a general-purpose insult term for anyone the speaker dislikes without specific reference to their sexual behaviour. of Just opposite the site of Zoar, on the south-west coast of the Dead Sea, is a range of low hills, forming a mass of mineral salt called Jebel Usdum, "the hill of Sodom." ver. Jude 1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. The next mention of the name of Sodom, ( Genesis 13:10-13 ) gives more certain indication of the position of the city. Laws prohibiting sodomy were seen frequently in past Jewish, Christian, and Islamic civilizations, but the term has little modern usage outside Africa, Asia, and the United States. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. In the midst of the garden the four cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim appear to have been situated. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? The Norwegian word sodomi carries both senses. [5][6] Sodomy laws in many countries criminalized the behavior. [citation needed] Benedictus broadened the meaning for sodomy to all sexual acts not related to procreation that were therefore deemed counter nature (so for instance, even solitary masturbation and anal intercourse between a male and a female were covered), while among these, he still emphasized all interpersonal acts not taking place between human men and women, especially homosexuality. [70] In practice, few modern Muslim countries have legal systems based fully on Shariah, and an increasing number of Muslims do not look to shariah but to the Quran itself for moral guidance. Sodom. [6][7] In the Western world, many of these laws have been overturned or are not routinely enforced. [70] For sodomy within marriage, the majority of Shiite interpreters hold that: ⑴ anal intercourse, while strongly disliked, is not haram (forbidden) provided the wife agrees; and ⑵, if the wife does not agree, then it is preferable to refrain. When we think of what went on in the wicked city of Sodom, our minds naturally go to the account in Genesis, and the horrible immorality recorded about the men of the city. Ironically, I believe that these anti-gay Christians actually have it backwards. Some scholars, such as Per-Axel Sverker, align this passage with the traditional interpretation, claiming that the word abomination refers to sexual misconduct, and that while homoerotic acts were not the only reason Sodom and Gomorrah were condemned, it was a significant part of the picture. The idea that homosexual intercourse was involved as at least a part of the evil of Sodom arises from the story in Genesis 19 (NIV): Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. In modern German, the word Sodomie has no connotation of anal or oral sex and specifically refers to bestiality. The Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, Philo (20 BCE – 50 CE), described the inhabitants of Sodom in an extra-biblical account: "As men, being unable to bear discreetly a satiety of these things, get restive like cattle, and become stiff-necked, and discard the laws of nature, pursuing a great and intemperate indulgence of gluttony, and drinking, and unlawful connections; for not only did they go mad after other women, and defile the marriage bed of others, but also those who were men lusted after one another, doing unseemly things, and not regarding or respecting their common nature, and though eager for children, they were convicted by having only an abortive offspring; but the conviction produced no advantage, since they were overcome by violent desire; and so by degrees, the men became accustomed to be treated like women, and in this way engendered among themselves the disease of females, and intolerable evil; for they not only, as to effeminacy and delicacy, became like women in their persons, but they also made their souls most ignoble, corrupting in this way the whole race of men, as far as depended on them" (133-35; ET Jonge 422-23). in Derrick Sherwin Bailey, Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition, (London: Longmans, Green, 1955), 73-74, Jewish philosopher, Writing on the life of Abraham, 33-34; ET Jonge 422-23; The Sodom tradition in Romans Biblical Theology Bulletin, Spring, 2004 by Philip F. Esler, Confessions. [43], In 18th century France, sodomy was still theoretically a capital crime, and there are a handful of cases where sodomites were executed. [8] Genesis (chapters 18–20) tells how God wished to destroy the "sinful" cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The opinion long current that the five cities were submerged in the lake, and that their remains--walls, columns and capitals--might he still discerned below the water, hardly needs refutation after the distinct statement and the constant implication of Scripture. Neither view about why Sodom was destroyed takes into account the fact that its destruction was planned before the guests arrived in the city, Genesis 18:17. [citation needed], Christians earlier than Justinian are also seen to denounce same-sex relations. Many cognates in other languages, such as French sodomie (verb sodomiser), Spanish sodomía (verb sodomizar), and Portuguese sodomia (verb sodomizar), are used exclusively for penetrative anal sex, at least since the early nineteenth century. In their view, the sins of Sodom were related more to violation of hospitality laws than sexual sins. In Arabic and Persian, the word for sodomy, لواط‎ (Arabic pronunciation: liwāṭ; Persian pronunciation lavât), is derived from the same source as in Western culture, with much the same connotations as English (referring to most sexual acts prohibited by the Qur'an). The sin of sodomy was an offense against nature frequently connected with idolatrous practices. While adhering to the death penalty by beheading as punishment for homosexuality or adultery, Justinian's legal novels heralded a change in Roman legal paradigm,[30] in that he introduced a concept of not only secular but also divine punishment for homosexual behavior. Sodom definition is - a place notorious for vice or corruption. Biblical scholars disagree on what "know" in this instance refers to, but most of conservative Christianity interprets it to mean "sexual intercourse,"[60][61] while the opposing position interprets it to mean "interrogate. The opinion long current that the five cities were submerged in the lake, and that their remains--walls, columns and capitals--might he still discerned below the water, hardly needs refutation after the distinct statement and the constant implication of Scripture. They were located in a fertile valley, south of the Dead Sea, which in modern times is partially covered with water. Sodom was evidently the chief town in the settlement. The word sod, a noun or verb (to "sod off") used as an insult, is derived from sodomite. Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. (Antiquities 1.11.1,3[28] — circa AD 96). In Ezekiel 16, a long comparison is made between Sodom and the kingdom of Judah. In Judges 19–21, there is an account, similar in many ways, where Gibeah, a city of the Benjamin tribe, is destroyed by the other tribes of Israel in revenge for a mob of its inhabitants raping and killing a woman. [27], The Jewish historian Josephus used the term "Sodomites" in summarizing the Genesis narrative: "About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards God, in so much that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices" "Now when the Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an extraordinary degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence; and when Lot exhorted them to sobriety, and not to offer any thing immodest to the strangers, but to have regard to their lodging in his house; and promised that if their inclinations could not be governed, he would expose his daughters to their lust, instead of these strangers; neither thus were they made ashamed." 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